Section 6
ITH P&P
1
INTERNATIONAL TOURS OF HOUSTON
POLICIES AND BOOKING PROCEDURES
ACCESSING THE AMADEUS SYSTEM
Upon joining the STARS program, an Amadeus User ID, Password and
reservation area Sine-in code was assigned to you for your access to the Amadeus
Central Reservation System. These series of numbers and letters are identified
only to you and ITH staff and should not be shared with any other persons.
The airlines use very sophisticated software to monitor the input from agency
users. Therefore your knowledge of Amadeus formats and use of Macro’s and
Wizards are very important to your success in finding the proper fare and rules for
your clients.
Your working knowledge of Amadeus is also very important to ITH. The agency
will receive debit memos (BILLS) from the airlines if you had not adhered to the
rules in booking the airline or travel vendor. These same debit memo charges
would then be passed on to you for payment as per the Independent Contractor
Agreement.
Therefore, please ask for assistance with any of the transactions you may need
help with by either calling the Amadeus Help Desk (305-468-3501), checking the
Amadeus Help screens or calling ITH. The Amadeus System is a wonderful tool
in which to book airline, car rental, hotels, rail travel, tours and cruises. By
increasing your working knowledge of the systems’ many uses, your sales
productivity will also increase.
You will use the same User ID, Password and Sine-in letter/numbers whether you
access Amadeus from your home computer are if you visit ITH and use the
agency’s workstations.
Section 6
ITH P&P
2
CREATION OF THE PASSENGER NAME RECORD (PNR)
Reservation sales on behalf of your client can be created by calling the vendor directly or
by booking through either one of the agency (ITH) computers or computers at ITH When
booking reservations directly with the vendors, STARS participants should always use
ITH’S ARC number (45-674263).
A PNR must be created for all bookings (air, hotel, rental car, cruises, tours, rail,
insurance, etc.). An address field, detailed fare quote, account number, etc. must be in the
PNR.
The ITH itinerary/invoice four-part paper stock is a generic type that allows the STARS
participant to identify his/her own company name. Therefore, it is mandatory that you
use your business address and also your client’s in completing your address field input.
ADDRESS FIELD
There are two mandatory address fields in the PNR – AB and AM. The AB field prints
on the left side of the itinerary/invoice and is the address to which you want the tickets
mailed. When making entries on the AB line, Amadeus automatically places and prints
your customer’s address in the correct place for a window envelope. However, Only 5
lines are allowed and NO punctuation. For example, your three lines of AB entry
would be as follows:
AB MR. JANE DOE
AB 1100 HEIGHTS BLVD
AB HOUSTON TX 77008
The AM field prints on the right side of the itinerary/invoice and unless the tickets are
being mailed to you directly, it should be your agency address. The last line of the field
should be your delivery instructions. (See page 22 for delivery options) (Use no
commas)
AM
AM
AM
AM
AM
AM
YOUR TRAVEL OFFICE
YOUR NAME (OPTIONAL)
YOUR ADDRESS
HOUSTON TX 77000
YOUR AGENCY TELCO
MAIL INSTRUCTIONS TO ITH
Section 6
ITH P&P
3
ACCOUNT NUMBER
To insure that you receive commissions on your sales via ITH’s ARC number, an account
number (AN) is assigned to identify your sales activities. For ITH to track commission
received from the travel vendors for your sales activities via ITH, you must enter your
account number twice in each PNR you create. Once in the PNR AI line ie. AI AN123
and second in the RM line ie. RM*AN123. Both entries are format sensitive.
COMMISSION
Commission percentages and dollar amounts vary from vendor to vendor. Therefore a
thorough search of that vendor’s commission structure is imperative at time of booking.
Many travel vendors periodically announce Bonus Commission Sales specials from time
to time and may add 5 to 10 percent extra commission for bookings made at certain times
of the year or particular sailings. Don’t assume the standard – check your sources (see
below).
Claiming and inserting in the PNR the full or correct commission on your travel sale is
your responsibility. ITH back office accounting system attempts to monitor the
commissions being claimed, but the systems cannot be updated as quickly as the vendors
change commission amounts. Therefore it is important that you research, verify and claim
the correct amount. By under-collecting, you and ITH are both losing income. By overcollecting for example, the airlines’ software will catch the overage and immediately
issue a debit memo to the agency for the over-collected commission amount.
ITH accounting personnel must then collect the overage commission amount from you,
report the debit memo and pay the airlines within thirty-days of debit memo notice. This
process requires an inordinate amount of needless work by ITH accounting personnel and
yourself! So, CHECK for the allowable commission percentage or dollar amount at time
of sale!
Approximately Mid - March 2002, most major U. S. airlines (Refer to Section 3 for a
commission recap) moved to “0” percent commissions paid to travel agents. ITH
instituted a minimum service charge of $10 per ticket for Domestic and $30 per ticket
for Int’l Airlines, for any airline not paying a commission. Agents on the STARS
program routinely charge a minimum of $20 to $30 per ticket for domestic travel and up
to $50 for international tickets, thereby making a minimum of $10 to $20 per ticket
Section 6
ITH P&P
4
ARC provides an automated MCO for processing this transaction or service fee (Refer to
Section 7 for Macro examples on the procedure for issuing these MCO’S). The 70/30
split of commission would not apply for those tickets in which the $10 fee is applied.
There are airline exceptions – ie. Southwest Airlines pays an 8% commission capped at
$60 roundtrip. So check the chart in Section 3 or via the following Amadeus entries for
current commission levels.
To determine the proper commission for the validating carrier, you should check:
1. AMADEUS AIS pages GG AIR XX (XX is the airline code)
2. On international tickets, if an IT (inclusive tour) number exists for the carrier,
please obtain this number directly from the carrier and enter it in the PNR as
in the following example: FTIT6LH1TOUR02
3. Refer to the enclosed airline, car rental, cruise and rail commission sheets in
Section 3.
TELEPHONE CONTACT
All PNR’S must have a phone contact for the STARS member is who booking the PNR,
and a client’s telephone contact..
APIAH-713 123-4567-ABC Travel (Your Star DBA)-A/(Your Name)
APIAH-713 123-4567-H/P1
H is for Home
APIAH-713 123-5555-B/P1
B is for Business
NOTE: Due to airline schedule changes, weather delays and flight
cancellations; it is imperative that you obtain and enter in the PNR your client’s
home phone number (unless otherwise instructed by client).
ENDORSEMENT BOX
All penalty fares must have a notation to that effect in the endorsement box on the ticket.
For example: FENONREF. (Note: when you store your fare (FXP) the FE entry will
automatically be appended to the PNR). Penalty information must also be in an itinerary
remark line (RII). A list of these and other suggested itinerary remarks lines are stored in
a profile accessed by the format PDN/RMK.
Section 6
ITH P&P
5
CARS AND HOTELS
In order for you to be paid commission on car and hotel bookings a PNR must be created
and invoiced. This is true even if there are no flights and/or the booking is made by
phone. NOTE: if the PNR is for hotel and/or car only (no air) there must be only one
name in the name field.
1. When the car and/or hotel is sold via telephone you must follow the MACRO
formats found in the Section 7 – Macros.
3. When a car or hotel is sold after the tickets have already been issued, add the
car or hotel segment to the original PNR. Then queue to ITH so that the
car/hotel invoice can be run. Note: if the car/hotel were sold via telephone,
don’t forget to run the Macro prior to queuing.
REMEMBER: Car and hotel commissions often produce more commission revenue
than airline ticket commissions. Earn more commission by tracking your car and hotel
bookings.
PRICING THE PNR
ITH will issue the ticket at the fare autopriced by the computer. Please insert your
ticketing instructions in the remarks field. (RMA …………..) When you have
completed the PNR enter: FXX to price as booked , than FXP to store the fare or FXB
to auto. rebook the lowest available fare and store the fare (store the fare right before you
queue for ticketing). All PNRs with air must have a stored fare before they are queued for
ticketing. If the computer does not give you the price you are expecting, you have a
problem. Make certain that the flights are booked in the correct class of service, etc…
ITH cannot ticket a PNR that does not price!
If the price is what you and your client have agreed upon, then a Fare Quote line is
inserted in the PNR. RM*FQ base fare/tax us/tax xf/tax zp/ttl cost PP. This verifies the
fare you quoted and the fare that prints on the ticket is the same.
If you have confirmed a fare with the airline that is different than the one at which the
PNR prices, you must build a TST. In order to do this you will need the complete fare
breakdown, fare basis codes, and breakdown of applicable taxes.
Section 6
ITH P&P
6
SEATS AND SCHEDULE CHANGES (segment status change)
Seats, once confirmed by the airline, often return as KK status. When this response
appears, end the record by entering: RFHH(Airline code)#ERK. By placing the K at the
end of the format, you are placing the airline’s response into history and updating the
status code to HK.
When schedule changes occur, the airlines most often advise that a change has occurred
through the status codes in your PNR. For example, UC may appear on the original
flight and TK on the new flight. To update, the format is the same as it is for updating
seats. Simply enter the format RFHH(Airline code)#ERK.
It is your responsibility to notify your client of any schedule changes. Be sure to
include your clients home and business contact for schedule changes.
OS AND SR*
The OSI and SSR lines are often used to advise the airlines of special information or
requests pertinent to your passengers. Once the information has been acknowledged by
the airlines, they will send the appropriate response. If the reply did not return as HK (i.e.
KK, UC, NO), then update the response by entering: RFHH(Airline code)#ERK.
Note: Airlines, car rental companies and hotels also communicate with you via OSI lines.
QUEUEING THE PNR FOR TICKETING
You must manually send the PNR to ITH for ticketing when ready. To do this, with the
PNR in your work area, type QE91.
The Amadeus computer response should be “ON QUEUE”
To ascertain if your PNR has been ticketed, re-display your record. The FA lines of the
PNR will list the ticket number and the FI lines will list the invoice number.
Section 6
SAMPLE PNR WITH REMARKS:
ITH P&P
7
Section 6
ITH P&P
AIRLINE DISCOUNT COUPONS
Airlines offer frequent flier and other types of discount promotions that require a coupon
or voucher in order for ITH to ticket. Only the airlines can ticket completely free
tickets claimed from frequent flier mileage.
If your client requests a fare requiring a discount coupon, ask to see the coupon. All
restrictions for eligibility as well as travel agents instructions for ticketing are printed on
the coupon. Make certain your client qualifies for the discount, i.e. travel is within the
validity dates of the coupon, Saturday night stay requirement is filled, etc. If a discount
ticket is issued and your client was not eligible, the airline will debit ITH, who in return
will debit you. If a TST is required, you must build the TST prior to queuing the
PNR for ticketing.
ITH staff will not issue tickets without the actual discount coupon (or faxed copy) in the
agency. You may store your client’s discounted coupons for future use at ITH. For
security reasons, all - coupons and exchange tickets will be signed for and entered in a
logbook. These coupons are then readily available by the ITH staff when you authorize
the coupons use for ticketing.
SUPPLIES AND AGENCY ORIENTATION
During your agency orientation, you will be shown the location of the following items:
A. The Ticket and Itinerary/Invoice processing area and explanation of daily
work routine for disseminating incoming phone messages, mail, email and
your clients’ ticket or documents acknowledgement and dispersal.
B. Brochures are in the black file cabinets in the agency. If you should order any
brochures, make certain you have the supplier send them to ITH to your
attention using your first and last name, or directly to your home is the
supplier will permit.
Office hours are: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM Monday through Friday. Closed Weekends.
In order to gain access to the agency after hours, weekends or on holidays, you will be
assigned an access card to enter the building upon request. There is a $15.00 charge to
replace the access card, if lost. The agency entry door will be accessible via a keypad
lock. The access code will be given to you at orientation. In the event that the access
code is changed, you will be advised of the new access code. You will be advised only if
your account status with ITH is current.
8
Section 6
ITH P&P
9
HELP NUMBERS
If you have any problems with the equipment or formats, use the following phone
numbers to resolve the problem.
AMADEUS Formats ……………………………….………………… ..305-468-5301
AMADEUS Tech Desk…………………………………………………..800-327-3618
(Problems with hardware & software – just not format questions)
HomePro Tech Desk (trouble connecting/logging in)
Identify yourself as a HomePro user…………………………….…….800-327-3618
Monthly statement/commission questions………………………………...713-785-2682
Vanessa Arriola/Bente Rawson
Ticketing questions……………………………………..…………………713-785-2682
Vanessa Arriola/Bente Rawson/Jennifer Kornas
ITH Policy/Contractual/Amadeus format questions……...……………….713-785-2682
Vanessa Arriola/Bente Rawson/Jennifer Kornas
HomePro billing questions………………………………………………..713-785-2682
Vanessa Arriola/Bente Rawson
Marketing and Promotional ………………………………………………713-785-2682
Ron Sanders
Co-op Advertising/Leisure Sales …………………………………………713-785-2682
Jennifer Kornas
Vanessa Arriola
Jennifer Kornas
Bente Rawson
Ron Sanders
Ext 112
Ext 119
Ext 113
Ext.110
FAX – 713-268-2626
Office email: ittours@wt.net
Web site:
www.ittravelgroup.com
Section 6
ITH P&P
10
INVOICING AND TICKETING
ITH staff controls all invoicing and ticketing. New STAR users will be given an
orientation on the procedures for queuing their PNR records to ITH for completion. A
quality control (QC) macro must be used when queuing PNR records.
All PNRs for which money is collected or credit cards are billed must be invoiced (air,
tours, cruises, etc.) showing the amount collected or credit cards billed (rental cars,
hotels, etc.). Please refer to Section 7 – Macros for a “how to”.
AUTOMATED TICKETING AND INVOICING
ITH prefers to ticket whenever possible for the sake of quality control and ease of internal
procedures. However, increasing your industry knowledge is important to us. If you are
authorized by the agency manager to ticket, please observe the following guidelines:
1.
2.
Regular ticket for 1 person
Regular ticket for more than 1 person
For Paper Tickets, simply append the above entries with
3.
4.
5.
6.
Tour/Cruise/Hotel/Car Invoice w/no air
Tour/Cruise/Hotel/Car Invoice w/air
Select only those segments you want invoiced
Itinerary only
Ticketless
TTP/INV
TTP/INVJ
/PT
INVJ
INVJ/S4
IBPJ
INVJ/NOFARE
Ticketing options are posted next to each workstation in the agency.
Section 6
ITH P&P
11
PREPAID PROCEDURE AND ASSEMBLY
International Tours will call your PTA in to the airline and will complete the PTA
document at no charge to you.
1. You must complete the PNR with all necessary information (as shown below),
run the PTA Macro and queue to ITH.
2. ITH will call the airline and complete the PTA document.
3. ITH will invoice your PTA.
4. ITH will mail the invoice to your client, leave in your mailbox, etc. as per your
AM instructions.
SAMPLE PNR for PTA:
Section 6
ITH P&P
12
SEAT ASSIGNMENT
Always, when possible, obtain advance seat selection for your clients. If your client’s
seat preference (usually window or aisle) is not available, assign another seat (window or
aisle) and advise your client to request a change of seat at check-in. What you want to
prevent is your client getting stuck in a middle seat. Note: if your client wants a seat in a
specific area of an aircraft, you must assign specific seats – not generic ones.
Airline advance seat reservation policy and correct seat selection formats can be found in:
GGAIRXX
(XX = airline code)
HESEATS
(all airlines)
REFUNDS
If your client cancels a trip involving refundable airline tickets, display your PNR and
cancel the reservation (ITH staff will not cancel your clients reservations). Obtain the
tickets from your client, write “REFUNDED” across the tickets and submit to ITH
accounting office. If paid by credit card, a credit will be issued to the account. If form of
payment was check, you must complete a “check request” form to the accounting
department in order to receive your client’ s refund. All refunds must be issued only to
the original form of payment.
VOIDS
Beginning with tickets issued on Monday, June 2, 2003 the GDS (Amadeus) will allow
voids until 11:59 pm the next business day. For example, tickets issued on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday will have a GDS void window of 11:59 pm Monday. The 24 hour
GDS voiding window applies to all transactions. Therefore, straight sales become nonmodifiable after the void window closes. However, modifications can be made to the
following transactions until the reporting deadline: Exchanges, Refunds, MCOs, AADs,
and Adjustment Memos. Agents should continue to void GDS transactions (tickets) in the
GDS. Voiding in IAR is for accounting/reconciliation purposes only.
Voided tickets to be voided must be in the agency by the close of business (5:00pm)
Monday. No tickets will be voided unless the documents are in the agency. (Direct any
questions to Vanessa Arriola)
Section 6
ITH P&P
13
VOIDS (Credit Card Sales)
Under ARC’S Daily Credit Card billing procedures, you must void invalid or cancelled
credit sales by MIDNIGHT of the DAY of SALE to preclude your client from being
billed for the transaction. All non-voided credit sales are invoiced to the credit card
contractor(s) the DAY after the day of sale. If you fail to void a sale by MIDNIGHT of
the DAY of SALE, YOUR CLIENT WILL BE BILLED.
ARC will reverse the void if the void transaction occurs after 11:59 pm of the next
business day (meaning the your client’s credit card will be charged the ticket amount).
ARC issues a REVERSAL CREDIT to your client’s credit card contractor. After the 24hour deadline, transactions can either be refunded (if the fare permits) or exchanged using
a REN.
REMINDER: Do
not forget to cancel the reservation. Note: Please do not cancel the
passenger’s itinerary in Amadeus until you see response documentation that the ticket has
been voided. If you need something voided immediately, please call ITH processing
department. Queue voids to Q28.
FORM OF PAYMENT
Each STARS agent is responsible for collection of monies on all tickets issued on their
behalf. According to your contract, if payment is by cash or check, these monies are due
in the agency at time of ticket issuance. Realizing this is not always possible, ITH allows
you to submit the monies within the same weekly reporting period. For any ticket issued
between Monday and Sunday, payment is then due in the agency that same week.
1. Cash
a. Deposit the cash into your business account and then issue your
business check for the full invoice amount to International Tours of
Houston, referencing the invoice number. Or you may advise your
client to visit ITH’S office address for payment in person.
2. Check, Travelers Check
a. When form of payment is check, have your client make it payable to
your DBA. Deposit the check into your account and issue a check to
ITH for services. The invoice number must be recorded on the face of
all checks. It is strongly recommended that you obtain a driver’s
license number or other appropriate identification from the client.
It is also recommended that you verify funds are available prior to
releasing tickets or documents if you are working with new or
unknown clients.
Section 6
ITH P&P
14
b. ITH will accept checks from your client if it is made payable to ITH
and appropriate verification has been made.
c. Any and all charges associated with the collection of funds for NSF
transactions will be billed back to your DBA.
***NOTE*** ITH will temporarily hold all tickets and documents in
the safe until payment is received from the STAR. If payment is not
received by Monday (of the report week) by 3:00 PM, cash tickets will
be VOIDED.
3. Credit Card
a. Every credit card transaction must have an approval code.
b. The Amadeus system will electronically contact your client’s credit
card contractor to request an approval code for automated tickets when
you use this format: FPCCAX 371388090441001/0998 (Note you
would of course substitute your client’s credit card number and
expiration date in lieu of the example shown above). If a client refuses
payment on a credit card transaction, especially after travel has been
completed, and you did not obtain a credit card imprint and signature,
the STARS agent is responsible for collection of monies even if an
approval code is generated. You must obtain a signature from your
client acknowledging their acceptance of the charge!
c. If issuing a Manual ticket, MCO, or PTA, this format generates an
approval code: DECCAX371388090441001/0998/USD600/CO
(USD600 is the total amount being charged to the card, /CO is the
airline of validation). If an approval is not given, see PDN/CHARGE
for the number to call for approval. When you call you will need the
credit card number, expiration date, and credit card mailing address
along with the total amount of the charge and the validating carrier.
Section 6
ITH P&P
15
SIGNATURE ON FILE
On all credit card transactions, it is imperative to have the signature of the credit card
owner. This can be obtained by having:
1. A Credit Card Authorization form signed.
2. A Limited Power of Attorney form signed.
3. Remarks printed on each invoice that the client will read and sign.
See PDN/ INV then PD2.
4. A Traveler Profile completed and signed by the credit card owner.
Form examples may be found in Section 10 or you may contact ITH and a staff member
will fax or supply you with additional samples and information regarding credit card
acceptance procedures from the ARC agency manual.
SPLIT PAYMENT (Handled direct with the airlines)
ITH will not process a split payment for purchase of an airline ticket i.e. credit card for
part of a purchase and a different credit card or check for the remaining portion of the
sale. This process calls for excessive paper completion using multiple ARC forms and
very, very time consuming for all parties.
PAYMENT TO TOUR OPERATORS/CRUISE COMPANIES:
Determine form of payment at time of booking, which will be one of the following.
1. Check: Some operators will want a check number over the phone
immediately. Call ITH for check number. Build your PNR with the
miscellaneous segment and check as form of payment. Complete a check
request form. The check request form must be accompanied by payment for
the requested amount and submitted to ITH accounting. ITH will then
forward payment to the operator. Please inform ITH on the check request of
any special delivery instructions, such as certified mail or Airborne.
No commission is deducted on the deposit. At time of final payment full
commission is pre-deducted and a net check is sent to the operator. Determine
their procedure. ITH must receive the amount of the total package. Your
commission will be paid on your monthly commission check.
2. Credit Card: Some vendors will take a credit card number via the phone and
not require paperwork. Others will require that a Universal Credit Card
Section 6
ITH P&P
16
Charge Form be submitted that has been validated through the agency. You
must inquire if they are going to obtain the approval code, or if you need to
obtain the approval code. Build your PNR with the miscellaneous segment
and the credit card number as form of payment. When payment is completed
in this manner, the operator sends ITH the commission check after your
clients have completed their travel. Often, payment is several months later.
ITH will not pay you the commission due until we have received payment
from the tour operator. In other words, this is a less desirable way of
payment to the tour operator if given several options.
3. Miscellaneous Charge Order: If the tour operator accepts credit cards, ask if
they also accept MCOs. An MCO can be payment by check or credit card. In
either case, an MCO must be completed and a PNR built. Inquire from the
reservation agent exactly what is to be done with the exchange coupon of the
MCO. In most cases it is sent to the vendor’s accounting office. In some rare
instances it is given to the client. Inform ITH in the PNR of any special
delivery instructions such as Airborne.
Some operators may request an MCO number from you over the phone. Call ITH
and we will give you the MCO number. The MCO will be held for you until the
PNR has been queued over for invoicing the same or next day.
CHECK REQUESTS
A check request form is to be used for all deposits and final payments where form of
payment is check or cash. Also, if your client is due a cash refund (ticket was paid with
check or cash) you must complete a refund check request and submit it to ITH accounting
in order for the refund to be processed.
In order to request a check to be issued you must submit payment with the check request,
or in the case of document refunds, the invoice number to be refunded.
Check requests for payments to vendors must be accompanied by you previously
generating an invoice against the check to be issued. Checks will not be issued against
open invoices.
The Check Memo Data area consists of additional remarks, to the vendor, that you would
like included on the check stub with payment. Always include the confirmation number
of the reservation.
A check request form is found in Section 10. You may use photocopies of the form to
submit to ITH accounting.
Section 6
ITH P&P
17
PREFERRED SUPPLIERS
International Tours of Houston is affiliated with IT Group, a travel consortium with a
corporate office in Reno, NV and a cruise center in Fort Lauderdale FL. IT Group
negotiates with certain “preferred vendors” based on total volume of business generated
by International Tours agencies and associates. These preferred vendors include cruise
lines, tour wholesalers, airlines, and many other vendors of travel services.
STARS Agents are encouraged to book through these preferred suppliers. Increased
commission levels are the benefit to you, when you identify yourself as a member of
International Tours of Houston or IT Group organization to the travel vendor. In addition,
you have the assurance that these vendors are reputable businesses with which to transact
travel arrangements on behalf of your clients.
Preferred Supplier lists are made available in both printed form and via IT Group’s web
site www.itgroupnetwork.com ITH also provides a list of suppliers via Amadeus Profiles
– PDN/ (type in name of supplier). These profiles provide you the suppliers’ addresses,
phone numbers, commissions paid, and forms of payment accepted. You will receive any
updates or additions/deletions to the preferred supplier list as they are made.
Travel insurance should be encouraged to all clients purchasing leisure travel or nonrefundable/penalty inclusive airline tickets. If you sell this insurance you must run the
Insurance Macro for the purpose of invoicing and commission tracking. Any complaint
you have regarding preferred suppliers should be addressed to TBU, 5250 Neil Road,
#301, Reno NV 89502. The phone number is: 800-657-9618. Fax number is 775-8249555.
INTER-OFFICE COMMUNICATION
MAIL:
Upon delivery to the agency, the mail is opened and a cursory inspection is
completed to determine disposition and timeliness of actions. Request any
brochures or literature be sent to ITH. Ask the vendor to address it to your
attention (using full name). If brochures arrive with no identification, the
package is opened and placed in the agency brochure files. If you have not
received expected brochures, check with ITH staff for recent delivery
information.
MAILBOX
You will be assigned a mailbox in the agency. Confirmations, brochures,
memos, and correspondence not needing immediate attention will be
placed in your mailbox. Accounting Personnel will notify you when
documents arrive from tour or cruise operators. After accounting verifies
invoices have been generated, you will need to determine the mode of
document delivery. Unless otherwise instructed, all tickets and documents
will be locked up when agency personnel are not present.
Section 6
ITH P&P
18
EMAIL\FAXES:
ITH communicates almost on a daily basis with the STARS
members via email. Confirmations, vendor specials, information regarding
agent discount trips and invitations to product seminar and meetings are
sent, upon request, by FAX and Email to the STARS participants.
SEMINAR/FAM ANNOUNCEMENTS: Listings of upcoming seminars and fams are
accessed by:
PDN/SEMINAR or PDN/FAM
MAIL AND DOCUMENT DELIVERY PROCEDURES
ITH will mail your customers airline tickets and/or travel documents at the regular first
class rate unless otherwise instructed. If the tickets are to be sent by any other means
(Airborne, Courier, etc.) it will be at the expense of the Independent Contractor. It is the
responsibility of the Independent Contractor to advise ITH of the preferred method of
delivery.
Insert your delivery or mailing instructions code on the last AM line so that it will print
on the invoice (see page 1). Six lines of AM remarks are available for your use. If the
instructions are too extensive to fit in one line, use that line to direct the ticketing agent to
look at instructions, which you will enter in RM lines of the PNR.
EXAMPLES:
AM
AM
AM
AM
AM
AM
AM
1
4
3R
2A
2T
2F
Hold for pickup (tickets/documents locked in safe)
Put in Mailbox (not locked up at night)
Regular mail to AB lines (3C for certified mail)
Airborne to AB lines (also 3p,12n or 2nd Day directions)
TEC to AB lines (also directions re time of day)
Fedex to AB lines
See instructions in RM lines
If you want the invoice/itinerary faxed: AM distribution code then F followed by fax
number. Example: AM 4F 713 222-2222 - the ticketing agent will fax to 713 222-2222 and
then put in your mailbox.
If the Independent Contractor wishes to have brochures or other information sent to the
client, the postage expense is borne by the Independent Contractor.
After being mailed from ITH, it is your responsibility to determine that your client has
received their documents. You are also responsible for follow up on anything lost in the
mail.
AMADEUS E-MAIL.
Amadeus E-Mail has been designed to:
Section 6





ITH P&P
19
Improve your office productivity by communicating quickly and efficiently with your
clients and suppliers
Send an updated copy of an invoice or itinerary
Increase the speed in which your customers receive their travel information
Improve your clients understanding of their travel arrangements by sending an
electronic copy to them
Reduce phone calls, postage, and faxing costs associated with providing travel details
This E-Mail product is available to all Amadeus customers at no cost. Information is available to
you in the following Amadeus AIS page:
GGAMAUS EML
Before sending your first E-Mail in Amadeus, you must register your PC terminal ID into
the Amadeus system by entering the following:
WM/ELN
You will need to do this only once, but cannot use the E-Mail product until you have
done so. The second command you need to enter to set-up your Amadeus email
parameters is the following:
WM/ADD/RPY/xxxxxxx (where x is your own email address)
This command instructs the Amadeus Email system to use your email address in lieu of
ITH’S email address for your clients’ replies.
EMAIL FORMAT
How do you send an itinerary or invoice document to an E-Mail address?
IEP-EML-JSMITH AT ANY ADDRESS,COM
IEP……………………………………. denotes sending extended itinerary
EML………………………………….. format to send the E-Mail
Jsmith@ anyaddress.com………………customers E-Mail address
You may also combine this format with other document formats to send invoices, for
example:
INV-EML-jdoe@anyaddress.net
In the first phase of this E-Mail program, no delivery confirmation or error message will
be sent to the sender. Please make sure the E-Mail address is accurate before sending.
Section 6
ITH P&P
20
When your customers receive the E-Mail the *From* name is INT’L TOURS. Your
individual agency name is also listed in the E-Mail. The title of your E-Mail
automatically defaults to *your travel information.
More information is available at:
HE EMD
HE WMP
AIRBORNE EXPRESS
International Tours has negotiated a favorable rate with Airborne Express for overnight
delivery; See PDN/AIRBORNE for rates. Airborne does not deliver to as extensive an
area as Federal Express. You can call Airborne at 713-443-8510 or 800-833-8524 to find
out if they deliver to a particular area. Put instructions in the PNR (AM lines). Airborne
will not deliver to a P.O. Box Number or Rural Route Number. If we are sending the
tickets from the agency, we will call to schedule pickup. If you are having tickets picked
up from your agency, call 713-443-8510 or 800-833-8524 to schedule pickup.
CERTIFIED MAIL
Upon request, ITH will send your documents Certified, which allows a trace if they are
lost in the mail. Post office will charge for this in addition to standard postage. You may
also request Certified/Return Receipt, which must be signed for at the delivery point.
There is also a charge for this in addition to standard postage. These charges are
deducted directly from your commission check.
Note: Certified mail is considerably slower than regular mail and the Post Office
has not been particularly cooperative in tracing lost certified documents. A trace
can take months. ITH recommends that you do not use this method of document
delivery. Our recommendation is Airborne, FedEx , courier, or best of all, if a local
delivery, deliver the tickets and/or other documents personally. Many agents have
developed a loyal following because they went the “extra mile” and delivered inperson.
TICKET DELIVERY/MESSENGER SERVICE
ITH uses a ticket delivery service for same day, in town delivery. Charges vary
depending on area of town, and whether the delivery is one, two, or four-hour delivery.
See PDN/TEC for rates. These charges are deducted directly from your commission
check.
Section 6
ITH P&P
21
If you prefer to use your own delivery service and be billed directly, just annotate the
PNR as to when the delivery is scheduled for pickup.
LOST TICKETS AND DOCUMENTS
It is your responsibility to obtain a lost ticket application from the appropriate airline
sales office and either complete it for your client or have your client complete it and
return to the airline. All airlines charge for this service, approximately $100.00 and some
airlines (i.e. Southwest) DO NOT refund lost or stolen tickets.
If the airline is to forward the refund to the agency, and payment was cash/check,
complete a check request for refund to your client and submit it to ITH accounting.
REFUND OF TICKETS AND DOCUMENTS
RECOMMEND INSURANCE TO YOUR CLIENTS FOR ALL TRANSACTIONS!
CANCELLATIONS AND PENALTIES
You should ALWAYS inform your clients of cancellation penalties. It should be input in
the endorsement box of the ticket and also in the invoice/itinerary remarks (RII) field. It
is your responsibility to advise your clients of any and all penalties, charges, restrictions,
etc. that apply to the fare your book on your client’s behalf.
FE NONREFUNDABLE
RII THIS TICKET IS NON REFUNDABLE IF CANCELLED
RII THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL CHARGES FOR TICKET CHANGES
Some airlines will refund due to death or illness of passenger or immediate family
member. This must be taken up directly with the airline and supporting documentation
such as death certificate or doctor’s letter must be submitted directly to the carrier with
the tickets. Call the airline or reservation number to determine the procedure for
you/your client to follow.
If the payment was by check/cash and the airline is to forward any refund to ITH, submit
a check request to the accounting department so the refund can be associated when it
arrives in the mail.
If your client has purchased insurance, call the insurance company to determine the
procedure to follow.
Section 6
ITH P&P
22
REFUNDS: NO REFUNDS WILL BE PROCESSED WITHOUT THE ORIGINAL
DOCUMENTS.
Documents to be refunded must be submitted to the accounting department with written
instructions to refund. If payment was by cash or check, a check request must also be
submitted with the document. All refunds will be issued to the DBA. Credit card refunds
are credited directly to the client’s credit card.
COMMISSIONS
Commissions, which are paid to Independent Contractors monthly per the terms of their
individual contracts, state that when the booking is completed solely by the independent
contractor for airline tickets and other travel accommodations, ITH will pay up to 70% of
the earned commission to the independent contractor. If, however, ITH has predominated
in the travel booking, a payment of 30% of the earned commission will be paid to the IC.
This policy was recently amended on March 18th, 2002 in response to those airlines
paying zero commission: ITH charges a $10 per ticket service charge on all airlines
tickets validated on those airlines paying zero commissions. The IC should then collect a
service charge over the $10 ITH charges to receive income for that sale. Most transaction
or service fees range from a minimum of $20 up to $35 per ticket.
Depending on receipt of the “Last of the Month” ARC report, commission checks are
primarily issued on the 15th of the following month. These commissions are tracked
through the automated accounting system. Any reservation for which you want
commission paid, must be invoiced through AMADEUS. It is the individual STARS
agent’s responsibility to keep supporting documents to settle any commission disputes. It
is recommended that the goldenrod copies of the itinerary/invoices be used for this
purpose.
In order to facilitate commission tracking it is MANDATORY that each PNR contain
two account number lines. In the account number lines, input the account number
assigned to you as an independent contractor:
Example:

First of your two entries: AI AN 014 (Account Interface Account Number)
The second entry would be: RM*AN 014 (you would of course use your
own account number)
AIRLINE TICKETS AND PREPAID TICKETS - Because airline tickets are
processed weekly through the Area Bank, you will be paid commission promptly
except in the event that ITH has not yet received payment for the ticket.
Section 6
ITH P&P
23

TOURS AND CRUISES - Payment made by MCO or Tour Order for tours and
cruises are processed through the Area Bank via the weekly sales report and are
therefore paid promptly. Commissions for these transactions, which are prededucted when paid by agency check, are also paid to you promptly, in the next
reporting period. However, when form of payment is credit card, either given
over the phone or the charge form sent directly to the vendor, you will not be paid
commission by ITH until the commission is received from the vendor. Usually,
the vendor does not pay commission until well after your client’s return date.
Upon receipt of the check from the vendor, ITH will include the commission on
your monthly check.

HOTEL AND CAR RENTALS - Hotel chains and major car rental companies
normally pay commissions once a month. Individual owned hotels and some
lesser-known car rental companies are notorious for not paying commissions on a
timely basis. ITH does not track unpaid commissions. Therefore you must monitor
your monthly commission reports and review your goldenrod copies of invoices
for commission follow-up with these vendors.

If cars or hotels are added to a PNR after the tickets have been issued, on the same
PNR, sell the car and/or hotel and issue an invoice with segment select i.e.
(INVJ/S3).
If you have a question regarding commission payment, contact ITH
accounting department to verify if payment has been received. If payment has
not been received, it is your responsibility to follow up directly with the
vendor. If the vendor shows that payment has been made, obtain the vendor
check number of the commission payment and the date it was issued. ITH
accounting department maintains copies of all checks for a period of one year
in order that payments can be researched.
Please note: if you have not generated an invoice prior to the time ITH
receives the commission, the ITH accounting department will be unable
to identify to whom the commission belongs. All unidentified
commissions are posted to an ITH House Account and become the monies
of ITH.
It is, therefore, vitally important that you invoice all transactions for the
purpose of commission tracking.
Section 6
ITH P&P
24
DEBIT MEMOS
Debit memos are sent by the airlines demanding payment in addition to amounts already
collected, i.e. if an incorrect fare was collected on a ticket or recalling commission on an
airline refunded ticket direct to your passenger. ITH accounting department will mail or
fax you a copy of the debit memo if the original ticket(s) involves one of your clients.
It is your responsibility to either accept the debit memo and pay what is required, or
dispute the debit memo, by sending supporting documentation and a letter of explanation
to ITH accounting. If you dispute the debit memo and the airline refuses to honor your
dispute claim, you then must pay the memo or ITH will withhold the amount from your
commission check and pay the airline on your behalf as per the IC Agreement.
COMMISSION REPORT & WORKSHEET
Your commission check will be mailed separately to you with a computer printout listing
all sales invoice numbers for which you are being paid and the commission amounts.
There will be a commission worksheet enclosed, which lists any deductions from your
commission check.
These deductions may include:
(1) Certified mail or delivery charges.
(2) Recall commissions received from the airlines for refunded tickets.
(3) Unresolved debit memos
(4) ATT Easylink faxing charges (if applicable).
WITHHOLDING COMMISSION CHECKS
Your commission check may be withheld for the following reasons:
(1) Non-payment of accountable travel documents already issued.
(2) Delinquent monthly contractor fees.
(3) Delinquent monthly Home-Pro fees.
(4) Delinquent E&O Insurance dues.
Section 6
ITH P&P
25
COMMISSION DISPUTES
ITH realizes paying commissions on a timely basis is an important issue with each IC.
However, ITH cannot control when the vendor actually pays the commission for your
sale. So, please first review your monthly commission report carefully, and if you believe
the commission should have arrived at ITH based on your client’s travel date, then
contact ITH accounting department by fax (713-268-2626) or email (ittours@wt.net)
listing in writing any missing commissions based on your invoiced sales.
ITH accounting personnel will research the TRAMS back-office accounting system to
verify commission receipt. ITH accounting personnel will advise you of their findings and
if the invoice should have been listed in the commission report in question, a check will
be expedited to the IC. If the commission was received after the month end date for that
commission report, then the commission will be included on the following monthly
report.
INCOME TAXES ON COMMISSIONS
Tax liability reporting on commission income earned is the responsibility of the IC.
Commissions are reported to the agent on an IRS form 1099 “Statement of Miscellaneous
Income.” You will receive your form 1099 at least by the 31st of January of the following
year.
PROFILES
Some ITH agency profiles you may find helpful are:
PROFILE NAME
DESCRIPTION
CHARGE
List of charge card approval numbers
CONTINENTAL
(Any airline name) phone numbers, commission information, etc.
FUNJET
(Any vendor name) phone numbers, vendor number, etc.
RMK
Miscellaneous remarks for PNRs
XYX
(XY = Your agent sine) Information on yourself
SEMINAR
Updated list of seminar dates
FAM
Updated list of familiarization trips
NEWS
Marketing/education updates between STARS
MACRO
How to access macros
INV
Receipt and credit card signature remarks
Access entry example: PDN/CARNIVAL
Section 6
ITH P&P
26
QUEUES
It is extremely important that you monitor your queues. Your queues are the primary link
between all suppliers, ITH, and yourself. PNRs appear on your different queue numbers
depending upon the action you need to take. Schedule changes, confirmation numbers,
and PNRs returned to you by ITH ticketing agents(s) for corrections/additions prior to
ticketing appear on your queues.
HELPFUL QUEUE FORMATS:
See HEQUEUE in your CRS
QTQ
QS20
QS20C1D2
QD
QN
QI
QE91
Display active queues
Sign into queue
Sign into queue, category 1 date range 2
Page through PNRS on queue
Remove PNR from queue
Ignore PNR and exit from queue mode
Send PNR to ITH queue 91
To add queues, contact agency manager.
*ITH will queue PNRs that are missing necessary fields, do not autoprice, etc. to your
QUEUE for correction.
Your QUEUE Number is:
________
Airlines will send PNRs to ITH with schedule changes, confirmations, etc. Monitoring
your queue will allow you to inform your client of schedule changes, or in some cases, reroute your client in the event of flight cancellations.
Use your computer to your advantage . . . to organize your work. You can also assign all
sales follow-up PNRs to your queue for use as an automated “tickle” file.
Section 6
ITH P&P
27
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Many suppliers offer their own insurance when clients purchase a package. In this
situation, the price of the insurance is generally added in the total amount of the package,
and paid for as one transaction. You will then receive the same commission rate as is
paid on the package, and the supplier will handle the paperwork. However, the
disadvantage to this type of coverage is that if the tour or cruise company goes out of
business, the insurance that was purchased via the vendor, may no longer be valid.
International Tours also offers several travel insurance vendors with whom the IC may
work with. These independent travel insurance companies pay commissions of 20% up to
35%. Insurance applications for your clients are distributed with this manual and are kept
in the agency. You can order a supply to be shipped directly to you. Your client may pay
by check or credit card.
It is good business practice to make a habit of offering travel insurance to your clients,
and if they decline, you should have them sign a waiver form. Making a habit of this
will protect both you and your clients. If a trip is canceled due to death or illness, your
clients deal directly with the insurance company and they will need supporting
documentation such as a death certificate or doctor’s letter. Offering insurance will give
you some liability protection if your client decides to bring a lawsuit against you, and you
are able to produce the insurance application or waiver in a court of law. The sale of
insurance is also a quick and easy additional revenue stream.
An example of the application and a copy of the Waiver are included in this manual.
If your clients have any specific questions regarding the insurance coverage, such as preexisting conditions, have them call the toll free number or call on their behalf.
GROUP INSURANCE POLICY – In the event you are operating a group and would
like to issue a group travel policy and build the premium into the final sales price to the
group, several of the travel insurance companies offer Group Insurance Policies.
Additional details may be obtained directly from the insurance vendors.
***Note*** A PNR must be built and the Insurance Macro run in order to invoice the
insurance and track your commission. The Vendor Code for Travelex is 460 and for
Travel Safe is 226.
Section 6
ITH P&P
28
TRAVEL BENEFITS
Your eligibility to receive and participate in the travel benefits offered by the many travel
industry vendors is governed by the eligibility rules established by these vendors and not
ITH.
Information regarding eligibility for reduced rate travel benefits is listed below:
REGISTRATION FORM - IATAN: STARS members interested in eligibility for reduced
rate travel benefits for both domestic and international travel must first complete, and
return to the ITH agency manager, the IATAN - PERSONNEL REGISTRATION
FORM (found in the back of this section).
Upon receipt of the partially completed form, the ITH agency manager will complete the
remaining sections as stipulated by IATAN, and forward the registration form to IATAN
for processing. A thirty (30) day time frame should be allowed for processing.
Please be advised that you may still not be eligible for reduced rate travel even with
receipt of the completed form from IATAN, as additional requirements must be met.
THE IATAN TRAVEL AGENT ID CARD: You may also wish to purchase an IATAN
Travel Agent ID Card. This card is a picture ID, which many of the airlines and car and
hotel companies are requesting as proof of your employment in the travel industry. The
current price is $15.00. To request this card; check the applicable box on your IATAN
Personnel Registration Form and attach your check for $15.00. In order to qualify you
must earn at least $5000.00 per year in commissions and work a minimum of 20 hours
per week in the business of selling travel. Be certain that you have checked the
appropriate boxes of your IATAN Personnel Registration Form.
MIINIMUM REQUIREMENTS - WORK EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY: The minimum
general eligibility rules for ARC and IATAN are as follows:
All ARC airlines require the agent to have a minimum of six (6) months industry work
experience prior to receiving travel benefits. Some ARC carriers require a full year (12
Months) of work experience.
IATAN airlines require a minimum of twelve (12) months industry work experience for
reduced rate air benefits. The normal workweek would consist of a minimum of 20
hours.
The above work experience rules will normally apply to all agents who request to use the
reduced rate (75% off Y class fares) AD75 vouchers. ARC and IATAN furnish these
vouchers (mainly for International travel) to each fully appointed travel agency.
The number of vouchers received is based on the air travel volume produced the prior
calendar year.
Section 6
ITH P&P
29
The vouchers are not tickets and cannot be used as flight coupons. The vouchers are
either: (1) forwarded with payment to the air carrier of origination for their ticket
issuance; or (2) the voucher is attached to the auditors coupon of the reduced rate ticket
issued in the agency, but with written authority from the originating air carrier.
ITH personnel will assist in directing you for ticketing compliance with your air carrier of
choice.
Exceptions to the rule: Experience has shown us that tour operator, some airline,
and/or government sponsored familiarization programs allow agency personnel to travel
without meeting the full six or twelve month work experience qualification. If the agency
is producing sufficient revenue for that supplier, minor eligibility questions are often
waived and policies modified.
SALES VOLUME: Your STARS agreement does not require you to meet any sales goals
to be eligible to participate in the STARS program. However, ARC and IATAN airlines
reserve the right to limit or deny reduced rate travel benefits for those individuals not
earning minimum annual commissions or salary of $5,000 (Refer to Question 2 on the
IATAN REGISTRATION FORM).
ARC and IATAN have the right to request either a W-2 or a 1099-MISC form from the
reduced rate traveler, to verify the income the traveler received for sales activity.
GENERAL INFORMATION: If you have a specific destination that you would like to
visit, contact ITH. ITH personnel may have some suggestions on which suppliers you
could call to inquire about upcoming familiarization tips.
It is virtually impossible to obtain any type of discount during holiday and peak travel
time; most discount travel is stand-by, not confirmed space.
As a general rule, any seminar or fam trip that ITH sponsors will be open to all STARS
participants with the following exceptions: (1) fam sponsor or airline imposes restrictions
and/or requirements thereby disqualifying some STARS participants, i.e. “top 5 producers
only”, (2) fam sponsor or airline offers only a limited number of slots, (3) the STARS
participant’s account with ITH is not current.
Section 6
ITH P&P
30
HOTEL AND CAR DISCOUNTS
For hotel and rental car travel agent discounts, call the hotel or car companies direct. Be
certain to inquire what type of documentation they need.
FAMILIARIZATION TRIP POLICY
The purpose of reduced rate/Fam trips is to give the travel agent an opportunity to
experience a vendor’s specific travel product and/or travel destination. This experience
will afford the agent first-hand knowledge and should result in increased sales. Fams are
a privilege and a benefit that will not be abused by any agency staff or independent
contractor of International Tours of Houston.
Professional dress and conduct of all participants is expected, and prompt attendance at
all required functions is mandatory. If any one participant should not adhere to the
above policy, they may be excluded from participating in any future agency/Fam trips.
All reduced rate air/cruise requests must have management approval, and are subject to
the regulations set forth by the vendor. International Tours of Houston is not responsible
for any possible damages/losses incurred while participants are involved in
familiarization trips. Refer to the sample waiver on the next page.
The following guidelines are for all ITH STARS who wish to participate on reduced
rate or familiarization trips:
 STARS participants must be current on monthly HOMEPRO and contractor service
fees.
 STARS participants must make good on any insufficient checks, and may not have
any outstanding Accounts Receivable with the agency.
 Deposits and final payments towards FAM trips must be paid by their deadlines. In
the event of participant cancellation, any refunds will be subject to the policies of
each individual trip.
 A valid IATAN travel agent ID card may be required by the vendor/airline in order to
travel.
Section 6
ITH P&P
PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE POLICY FOR TRAVEL AGENTS
31
Section 6
ITH P&P
32
ERRORS & OMISSIONS COVERAGE
In today’s litigious society, disgruntled clients are suing their travel agents for real or
imaginary errors and omissions sometimes caused by the negligence of the travel
vendor’s employees. Mistakes can and do occur, and certainly not every client sues as a
result.
Common scenarios for E&O claims involve dissatisfaction with travel arrangements,
alleged failure to advise of needed travel documents, and, yes, actual booking errors; for
example, ticketing a traveler to Portland, ME when he wanted to go to Portland, OR.
“Errors & Omissions” (E&O) claims do not necessarily involve an actual error on the part
of a travel agent. Simply the perception of an error or omission by a client can give rise
to a claim.
BODILY INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE LIABILITY COVERAGE
This coverage protects against the most catastrophic types of losses: those, which involve
injury to, or even death of, a client, which occurs during travel, arranged by you.
Allegations of negligence may cite the failure to properly advise clients of possible
hazardous conditions, or negligence in the selection of a travel supplier, such as an
airline, cruise line, tour operator, motorcoach operator, or hotel.
PERSONAL INJURY COVERAGE
This coverage protects against charges of libel and slander. For example, the failure to
advise of the proper documentation needed to enter a country results in claims alleging
false arrest, detention or imprisonment. Or, a heated disagreement with a client may
result in a suit alleging defamation of character.
POLICY DETAILS AND ITH PROCEDURES
ITH has made arrangements to provide the Professional Liability Insurance Policy for
Travel Agents with the Interstate Insurance Group via Chicago Insurance Company.
The policy period is from: June 01, 2002 to: June 01, 2003.
The limits of liability for each incident: $1,000,000 with the aggregate also at $1,000,000.
The deductible for each claim: $500.00.The deductible amount specified above applies to
both damages and defense costs.
The premium for this annual coverage for the above policy period for ITH is $1896.00,
plus an additional $50.00 per each Independent Contractor per year.
Section 6
ITH P&P
33
Each STAR is required to participate in the coverage and premium payment. ITH
accounting personnel bills each member in June of each year for their respective $50.00
premium. STARS members may provide their own Professional Liability Insurance, and
by providing ITH management with a copy of their policy and naming ITH as co-insured,
then the $50.00 premium is waived.
A copy of the policy number and salient points of the policy are provided for your
reference on the following pages.
Section 6
ITH P&P
34
Section 6
ITH P&P
MACROS
MACROS
35
Section 6
ITH P&P
36
With the Amadeus APS Macros application, you can automate repetitive or complex Host
(format) transactions. Instead of manually entering each transaction, you can run a macro.
Amadeus established a series of macros identified within Amadeus by the designation
1A.
At the present time, if you use or run an Amadeus macro (from the 1A list), the macro
will not interface with ITH’S back office accounting system without additional MS
accounting lines of input. This is an important issue, as your sale may not be identified
for commission tracking and sales activity credit. Therefore if you use the 1A macros,
please queue the PNR to ITH’S queue 91 for review and processing by ITH staff.
The more preferred alternative is for you to use ITH’S macros’ listed immediately after
the 1A macros and identified by letters - ITH. The ITH macros already have the MS
accounting lines in-bedded within the macros to interface with the TRAMS back office
accounting system. The ITH macros may be run by any STARS user, as the macro asks a
series of questions, with you supplying the reservations or tour or cruise type of answers
for completion.
ACCESS MACROS
You can run a macro from the Macro List, Reservations, the APS Toolbar, or your
Personal Toolbar. To access all ITH macros enter &MINDEX.
SUSPEND MACROS
To suspend a macro, click on the “suspend macro” icon on the toolbar. To cancel a
macro, click on the “terminate macro” icon on the toolbar.
ACCESS VENDORS
Vendors have an ID number assigned to them for tracking purposes. Many of the macros will ask for this
number within the format sequence. To determine the specific vendor number, access the correct profile as
follows:
PDN/VENDOR NAME
If no profile exists for a particular vendor, call ITH accounting department for a vendor
number or choose – other tour - other air - other hotel …etc.
INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR PROCESSING A SPECIFIC MACRO
1.
Deposit
A. Amount of deposit.
B. Are you using a MCO or other form of payment?
C. The validating airline code if using a MCO.
Section 6
ITH P&P
37
D. The vendor code.
2.
Final payment
To add a final payment:
A. The final payment amount.
B. The commission amount.
C. Is the form of payment the same as in the deposit?
3.
Car
To add a car segment to the PNR that was confirmed with the car
company directly.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
4.
Car company code.
Rental city code.
Pick up date.
Return date.
Arrival time/Return time.
Vehicle type code.
Daily rate quote
Total cost of car rental – not the daily rate.
Commission amount
Confirmation number.
Special information (optional)
Vendor code.
Name of car-rental company
Hotel
To add a hotel reservation to the PNR that was confirmed with the hotel directly.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
Is the hotel in Amadeus?
The two-letter hotel chain designator.
Hotel city code.
Check in date.
Check out date.
Rate quote.
Confirmation number.
Hotel vendor code.
Section 6
ITH P&P
I. Total cost of stay
J. Commission amount
5.
Tour or Cruise
To add:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Inputting cruise-tour-rail info.
Deposit has been sent/this is final payment
Deposit has been sent/this is additional payment
Inputting Travelex C.D. Benefit Insurance Info
Inputting Travel Safe Insurance
Inputting information for the Senior Citizen Coupon Booklet
A. Inputting cruise-tour-rail information.
1. How many names are in the PNR?
2. Airport code.
3. Departure/Return date.
4. Name of vendor.
5. Brief description.
6. Payment Information
7. Total due now.
8. Dollar amount of commission.
9. Vendor code number.
10. Confirmation number.
11. Total cost of package, etc.
B. Deposit has been sent / this is final payment.
C. Deposit has been sent / this is additional payment.
1. Amount of payment.
2. Commission due now.
D. Inputting TravelEX Insurance Information
1. Airport code.
2. Departure date.
3. Total due to the insurance company.
4. Payment Information.
5. Commission percentage.
6. Policy number.
E. Inputting Travel Safe Insurance Info.
1. Airport code.
2. Departure date.
3. Total due to the insurance company.
38
Section 6
ITH P&P
4. Payment information.
5. Policy number.
F. Inputting information for the Senior Citizen Coupon Booklet
1. Date of invoicing.
2. Name of validating carrier.
3. Airline code.
4. MCO number.
5. Total amount due.
6. Commission due.
6.
Ticketless:
To add required information for all ticket-less travel:
A. Total due
B. Confirmation number.
C. Credit card number.
SAMPLE PNRs WITH MACRO FORMATS
39
Section 6
ITH P&P
Example of: Car
Example of: Car deposit with MCO number
Example of: Car deposit without a MCO number
Example of: Senior Citizen Booklet
40
Section 6
ITH P&P
Example of: Hotel listed in Amadeus
Example of: Hotel not listed in Amadeus
41
Section 6
ITH P&P
Example of: Southwest Airlines ticketless
Example of: Tour Segment
42
Section 6
ITH P&P
Example of: Deposit sent/this is final payment
Example of: Cruise Segment
Example of: Rail Segment
43
Section 6
ITH P&P
Example of: – Travelex Insurance
NOTES:
44
Section 6
ITH P&P
45